


Free Hugs

by theartificem



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: AU, F/F, University AU, free hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 06:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2536973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartificem/pseuds/theartificem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on otpprompts post.</p><p> Carmilla was having a bad day,then she bumps into freshman student, Laura, who’s wearing a sign around her neck that says FREE HUGS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free Hugs

Carmilla isn’t pissed. Oh no. She’s enraged, like you could literally see fire behind her eyes. What she thought would be a perfectly good day turned out to be the worst.

First she left her wallet back at her dorm, so she had to scrummage for crumpled bills in the very depths of her bag to pay for lunch. Luckily she had enough to buy a pack of cookies and a can of soda.

Second, she bought the wrong essay to class. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as the professor shook his head and reprimanded her. _“Carmilla I said an essay about Bentham’s hedonistic calculus, not ethical egoism.”_ She heard the guy behind her snicker and it took all of her willpower not to snap his fucking head off.

By midday Carmilla was fuming. She kept her head down as she walked the university road, brushing along other students. She’s walking so fast she suddenly collided with a body. “Sorry,” A high pitched voice said. Carmilla nodded, not taking her eyes of the ground, and continued her walk.

She had taken at least ten steps when she heard the same high pitched voice again.

“Hey!”

Carmilla turned around, facing the person she collided with earlier for the first time. It was a girl, a freshman with long golden brown hair, and deep brown eyes that glints in the sun, making Carmilla stare. She’s seen her in the freshman orientation, but she was assigned to a different group, and the girl was assigned to Perry’s group.

“What?!” She snaps, she really doesn’t have any time for naïve freshmans. The girl smiles at her and starts walking towards her. When she reaches Carmilla she points to a sign around her neck that Carmilla hasn’t noticed. Her eyes drift down and she reads the words _FREE HUGS_ written on yellow cardboard.

She looks at the girl and raises her eyebrow. _You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._   The girl just smiles at her and says. “I’ve noticed you look a little down. And there’s nothing a good hug won’t fix!”

Carmilla snorts. “I don’t need a hug, I need a bottle of vodka.”

“Vodka is expensive, hugs are free.”

“No thanks, think I’ll pass.” Carmilla turns around and starts walking again. After a minute she feels someone following her. She turns around and sees the girl behind her. Carmilla huffs and puts her hands on her hips.

“Are you not going to leave me alone?  Or do I have to file a restraining order?”

“No!” The girl puts her hands in front, her eyes widening. She bites her lips and looks down. _Well for an annoying freshman she is kinda cute_ , Carmilla muses. The girl sighs and looks at Carmilla in defeat. “I kinda have a quota of people to hug.” She says sheepishly. “It’s for my class, and I’m kinda in deep water already because I failed a test last week. So I kinda need this.”

Carmilla feels her annoyance for the girl disappearing. Failing a class is not a great way to celebrate the end of your freshman year. “How many more people do you need to hug?” she asks quietly, startling the girl.

“Oh, uhm. Only one more.”

Carmilla shrugs and opens her arms, it was only a hug. The girl steps into her embrace with a big grin, making Carmilla smile a little.

It was only a hug.

Wrong. 

The moment the girl wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s waist she felt something she hasn’t felt in a long time, exploding inside her like fireworks. She felt the whole world come to a stop, like it was only the two of them locked in this embrace that matters. She felt the girl’s warm body, heating up her own, turning her into a deep shade of scarlet. Carmilla sighs, closing her eyes, it was like the girl sucked all the negative energy from her, replacing them with something warm and fuzzy.

“So, uh.” The girl says, making Carmilla snap back to reality. She drops her arms and steps back, looking at anywhere but the girl.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Carmilla mumbles, looking back at her. They stand there for a while, eyes locked, ignoring the bustle of people around them.

“I should, uh, I should go.” The girl says, gesturing to her back. Carmilla doesn’t say anything, the girl turns around and starts walking away.

Carmilla gazes at her back, like she suddenly forgot how to use her feet. After a few seconds she breaks into a run.

_Fuck it._

“Hey!” She shouts, running as fast as her legs could take her. The girl turns around, her eyes wide.

“Did you forget something?” She says, her face scrunched up. And Carmilla just finds it adorable.

“Yeah I did.” Carmilla says, _now or never_.

“What?”

“Your name.” She says, a grin forming on her face. The girl smiles and looks down, she’s blushing.

“Laura.” She holds out her hand. Carmilla takes it and feels the same warmth from earlier.

“Carmilla.”

“Yeah, I know.” Laura shyly says, dropping her hand to her side, her face blushing into a deeper red. Carmilla raises her eyebrows at her.

“My neighbor at my dorm,” Laura explains, her hands flying around. “She kinda has a crush on you so yeah. I hear about you a lot.”

“Well Laura,” Carmilla drawls, liking the way her name rolls around her tongue, she puts her hands in her pockets. “I don’t think it’s fair that you know so much about me while I know nothing about you, except the fact that you give free hugs. How about you tell me more about yourself over coffee?”

Laura’s eyes widen and her eyebrows almost shoot out of her face. “M-me? Coffee?” She stammers, pointing to herself. Carmilla laughs and nods, _god she’s adorable._ Laura nods frantically, her face ecstatic.

“I’d love to! When do you want? I’m pretty free nowadays, but I have group study on Thursday, I mean lit class is a killer, so yeah.” She rambles excitedly, her hands clasping her back.

Carmilla puts her hand under her chin and thinks. “I’d love to take you today, but I left my wallet at my dorm.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that.” Laura says suddenly, she grabs Carmilla’s wrist and starts walking in the direction that they came from.

“I can’t have you paying for my coffee.” Carmilla frowns.

“Don’t worry,” Laura states as she leads them to the university cafe. “I have a friend who works here, she can get us free lattes.”

They spend the whole day at the café, she learns that Laura is taking up journalism, she misses her dad, she loves chocolate and lives on a diet of cookies, and she has the most beautiful laugh that Carmilla has ever heard in her life.

The two of them only leave when Laura’s friend, LaFontaine, kicks them out.

They meet again, and again, and again, until they’ve memorized every item on the menu.

 

* * *

 

Three months later Laura walks out of her building and sees Carmilla waiting for her. On Carmilla’s neck was a familiar sign with the words _FREE HUGS (only for Laura, if not Laura piss off)_ written on it. Laura skips to Carmilla and wraps her arms around her. Carmilla breaks the embrace and takes off the sign. She flips it over and shows Laura the other side.

_WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?_


End file.
